Wednesday, April 20, 2016

The Weapon of Rape

I had no background knowledge of rape being used as a weapon in war prior to the reading. Yes, I understood that it occurred during war, but I did not know it was used as a tactic. In the article, a Nazi had even described this as inhumane. A man who supported Hitler's idea of an Aryan race and all of the awful violence that came with it thinks that this is an awful thing. While reading about how the Japanese would rape and kill these women was extremely disturbing and violent. One of the Japanese soldiers even said that he wishes that it would have been "alright" if they had "only raped them." How can anyone live their life knowing that they raped a woman, and deem that "alright?" When reading the Nigerian Girls article, the idea that rape isn't the only way women can be pawns of war was touched upon. These girls that were captured are something that the Nigerians want. No one knows where they are, or what they are being forced to do, but just the thought that something bad is happening to them is powerful enough; fear is perhaps the strongest weapon of war, and Boko Haram is using the girls to instill that fear.

While reading the ISIS article, I thought about how disturbed the US was when it was realized that the reporter Kayla Mueller was kept as a sex slave by ISIS before her death. The thought of this women being raped repeatedly shocked and horrified the country, imagine if this happened regularly? When some of these cities go under attack, this happens to a great deal of women. It is hard to comprehend just how much harm is being done since the US does not experience this type of problem as frequently. The article continued to say the women who were raped were "ostracized and often blamed for the attacks." ISIS knows these women will bring dishonor to their families and communities, so they also use rape to break those bonds.

I found the conversation about whether it would be more humane to kill the women vs. letting them live after being raped intriguing. There is no second chance after death, but if the woman is still alive, she still has a chance and a choice to live a life and do something. Whether that be reunite with her family or use her story as a voice to help others, she has that choice. Obviously rape causes severe psychological trauma, but it shouldn't be the men's choice whether they live or die, it should be their own. Women continue to be used a pawn of war and are violated in a way that objectifies them and deems them just another weapon.